I am beginning to think it will not be long before the US has boots on the ground in the Ukraine. Congress passes bill letting U.S. lend weapons systems to Ukraine The House has passed a bill allowing the Biden administration to lend or lease weapons to Ukraine and other eastern European countries, sending the bill to the president's desk. ..... The bill's passage comes as President Biden urged Congress to swiftly pass a $33 billion assistance package for Ukraine as it continues to block Russian President Vladimir Putin's assault. The White House says nearly all of the $3.5 billion in drawdown authority Congress provided last month for military assistance is depleted. US fed Ukraine intel on Russian plans that helped it move artillery from strikes and shoot down a Russian plane, report says A Pentagon spokesperson told Insider: "We are regularly providing detailed, timely intelligence to the Ukrainians on the battlefield to help them defend their country against Russian aggression and will continue to do so." In another case, US intelligence helped Ukraine shoot down a Russian transport plane containing hundreds of troops that was headed to help seize Hostomel Airport near Kyiv, NBC News reported. ...... The US usually maintains intelligence partnerships with its major allies, like NATO or the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, neither of which Ukraine is a member. ...... In the wake of Russia's recent decision to launch an all-out attack on the Donbas region, in Ukraine's southeast, the US said it would increase intelligence sharing with Kyiv. These are two major developments in my opinion. We have now put into the hands of President Biden the authority to allocate our US military arsenal as he sees fit. No debate required concerning a Presidential decision with regard to US military assets. Add $33 billion more to the cake and it becomes apparent the US tax payer is in this for the long haul. We move ever closer to boots on the ground. It starts with diplomats, intelligence, military training and arms support.
Maybe. I look at it as giving Ukraine all the tools for THEM to do it without boots on the ground. And there's been voting and debate on the aid packages so is this a new feature of the Lend & Lease?
Thoughts/Question - we're sending a lot of stuff. I know the US has a major stockpile & I'd hope someone's making sure we still have stuff. I don't follow weapons manufacturers much. I know the labor market is bad due to not enough workers, but maybe it's time to ramp up production? How many folks working at Amazon, Ford, Walmart, etc could be lured to defense production/assembly? Is ammo something that's made by private gun manufacturers or is that a defense job too? Just seeing opportunities in manufacturing jobs that pay more versus Amazon warehouse jobs.
Now embedded in the article is he said he was there of his own free will & that the Russians took his passport. As a mercenary don't know if Geneva applies. But in the article the Russians also captured 2 more British aid workers and THAT is a problem. Not that Russia cares.
While I understand that you're chomping at the bit and all, but I'm not certain you want to enlist just yet.
Why are we giving it to them? Shouldn't Ukraine citizens be paying for it? Don't get me wrong I get that they are in dire straits at the moment but they should carry some of the financial responsibility.
Isn't that what Lend/Lease does? Pass the Financials to Ukraine? And honestly I know this program was around pre WW2 but I don't know how the payback works. Also Ukraine would need to get Russia out of the way to export their wheat, etc, which the Russians are pretty much stealing. Hence part of the reason for using seized/frozen assets for Ukraine - whether rebuilding or defense. I get that there's a nuance between seized vs frozen, though. As to why not just the US but plenty of other nations are just giving them stuff, because it's in everyone's best interests, not just Ukraine. As part of removing sanctions we can make Russia pay restitution if need be.
Good. Hope this is accurate. Poland must have some assurances that their Russian tanks will be replaced with the good stuff.
For a war that's none of our business absolutely not. For what it's worth I served my time in the Marine Corps and last I checked the armed services aren't looking for 66 year old men.
You mean lend. Lease is there to make you think otherwise. Now imagine this turns into WWIII are we going to tell the Ukrainians I want those armaments back? Even worse I need that worn out leased equipment now. Yes the same arrangement occurred in WWII and all of sudden we found ourselves devoting the entire economy and manufacturing industry into a war machine complete with rationing resources and putting boots on the ground. Everything went to the war effort. The unfortunate part of all of this is there are not many left who tell the tales relayed to me by grand parents and parents. I do believe the hardships this nation endured during WWII were merited. I don't believe Ukraine is worth that price. Where is our manufacturing industry today? It is spread across the globe among allies and nefarious characters alike.
I am indeed champing [sic] at the bit. I’ve been doing this for a while, and I’ve never seen anyone who needed killing more than Russians in Ukraine. You don’t even need to enlist me. Congress just needs to give the word.
